By David McNeil W6PHO We are now entering the “Solar Maximum” part of Solar Cycle 25, which could mean four years of excellent conditions for DXing. Maximum solar activity increases ionization in the “F” region of the ionosphere (150-250 miles up) which facilitates daytime 20 to10-meter propagation and nighttime 40 through 10-meter propagation. If you’re wondering when to look for DX, the SN (Sunspot Number) may help. While the SN is the result of observation and calculation with some tricky statistics thrown in (for a “smoothed” number), it is often a good indicator of conditions for DXing. The highest SN count […]
Tuolumne County OES and Sheriff will be testing 5 Sirens in the following locations: Groveland, Tuolumne City, Twain Harte, Cold Springs and Strawberry. The County has asked TCARES if we can monitor the locations and report what was heard in a live Net that day. SEE PARTICIPATION DETAILS HERE: SIREN TEST DETAILS (We need some Hams to drive up to Cold Springs and Strawberry and listen and call into the repeaters.)
Wallace (Wally) Lee Ratzlaff was born at home on October 20, 1936 in Winton California. He was the youngest of three children (Evelyn, Leland & Wallace) born to Ben and Ethel Ratzlaff. His years growing up were rich with the closeness of family and many beloved cousins that doubled as best friends! He grew up working hard with his family in the peach orchards and on the ranch. And from a very early age, Wally pursed a God-given love of electronics and communications, building mail-order radio kits and components. Wally used to say he was “born with electrons in his blood”! […]
By Mike, W6MVM Hi, the first question is “Is CW dead?!?”. Code is no longer required to get a license. Does anybody still use it? It was dropped from the requirements because the military no longer needs trained operators. For many years it was thought essential for national defense to have trained Morse Code operators, but not in the age of digital communications. But is it dead? Not hardly. As I’m writing this column, I’m tuned to the 20 meter band. Looking at the lower CW portion with my Flex 6300. The spectrum is set to cover the whole CW area […]
TCARES members Rich Combs, KN6HSR; Ned Sudduth, K6NED, and Toni Sudduth, K6TNI, reported that the October 2023 Great California ShakeOut exercise was an “outstanding” success. Here is their story as reported to the ARRL News (11/03/2023): K6NED / WRPM781 “This is a drill. Drop! Cover! Hold on!” was the mantra for the Great ShakeOut exercise on October 19, 2023, at 10:19 AM in Tuolumne County, California. The Great ShakeOut is an annual international event that promotes awareness of how to prepare for and react to an earthquake. For the past 2 years, TCARES has used this event as an opportunity to test our […]